DENVER, Co. - In what was built up by the media as one of the biggest games of the season, two MLS affiliated W-League teams - the Colorado Rapids Women and the Seattle Sounders Women - battled on a warm Colorado day in front of 1,000 Colorado locals, with the Rapids women earning an important 1-0 win.

In 90-degree heat the two teams set out to fight for three valuable points. A win would either throw the Rapids Women back into playoff contention or keep the Sounders Women close to the W-League Western Conference leader, the Pali Blues.

The game started in the usual fashion with the Rapids Women dictating the tempo and controlling much of the possession at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. In the first 15 minutes the Rapids Women came close on several occasions with striker Camilla Kur-Larsen constantly posing a threat for the Sounders defense and creating several chances for teammates.

In the 22nd minute, the Rapids breakthrough finally arrived with central midfielder Lexi Tagen latching onto a great pass from Katrine Korsgaard and taking a blistering shot from outside the box to give the Rapids a well-deserved 1-0 lead.

The first half wound down the way the game started, with the Rapids Women in control of possession and looking to go 2-0 up. The Sounders were unable to break down the Rapids' possession and tempo. Sounders midfielder and Colorado native Keelin Winters, however, came close on two occasions which proved to be their only attempts on the Rapids goal in the first half.

The second half started with several Sounders substitutions and a more offensive looking Sounders lineup. Much of the second half was played in the middle of the field with both teams working hard to find the next crucial goal. The Sounders Women applied constant pressure for the first part of the half and forced Rapids keeper Lauren Robertson into several saves. The Sounders continued to work hard and created several dangerous crosses from the flanks.

In the final 15 minutes the Rapids changed into a more offensive formation even though they had a slim 1-0 advantage to defend, which forced the Sounders onto the back foot for the final part of the game. This offensive change created three clear goal-scoring opportunities for the Rapids Women but the scoreline stayed the same.

“This is a big win for our first-year organization,” Rapids Head Coach Daniel Clitnovici said. “The girls played very hard and wanted the three points. Part of becoming a successful team is believing in yourself and that’s exactly what they did. The passion and heart they displayed tonight is unparalled. We can’t get carried away though because we have three massive games ahead of us. We’re five points from second in the league and everything is to play for.”

The victory shoots the Rapids Women back into playoff contention five points adrift off second place with five games remaining. The Rapids now head to California for a three-game road trip with a very important first game against league leaders, the Pali Blues. Please keep updated on the Rapids website at http://www.coloradorapids.com/women and also on the Facebook page at Colorado Rapids Women.